the ones that got away from multiply massacre

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Have You Seen My Adulthood?

I just got to thinking that I may be missing out my early adulthood. Funny that I just realized that after I’ve been dealing with this one particular client. He’s been doing business for maybe two times longer than we have. But still, he was acting like a kid. Like one of his employees told us, “He’s like a little boy wanting a balloon in the middle of the night. He will try and get that balloon one way or the other.” And I started to wonder if age has anything to do with the way you do business. But I’ve seen better examples than this one.

I’m 28. I founded our company (with 3 friends) when I was 23. I just graduated from university the year before, and my experience in working for someone else were some internship at an advertising agency and a teaching job. Both of them not longer than a year. I was (and consequently still am) the youngest owner of the company. I decided I wanted to work for my own company because I have such idealism and vision. I never thought that this company would be this strong, for after nearly 5 years it keeps going strong. Nevertheless, I never fail to dedicate my mind and my heart to this company. My list of obligations and responsibilities is long, but let’s just say that after trying to meet the deadlines at the office, I go home with some Math, English, Economics, and Ethics homeworks. Unlike my friends who work for an employer, I am both an employee and employer. I have to deal with the rush everyday, and I have to keep cool while running my business.

Dealing with a 40-something client with an attitude like this really made me miss the life as an ordinary employee; for when the clock strikes 5 they can lighten up and cheerily go home, for when office hours are up they can be their free-selves and nobody ‘owns’ them, for when a friend calls to invite them to a sushi bar after work they can answer yes immediately, for when it’s time to go to bed they won’t have to worry if the company will still be there tomorrow because they can go on a strike and demand a compensation if that happens.